1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to gun supports for hunters; and, more particularly, to a hands-free gun support adapted to provide a steady rest that maintains the gun in an appropriate firing position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous patents disclose supports for either the front or the back of a gun. These supports require that the hunter steady the gun by continuously holding it in a supported portion. Moreover, with such patent teachings, the support provided is either bulky, or complex in construction, and is not easily adjusted to bring the gun into a properly aimed, firing position.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,112,732 to Uhl discloses a firearm support. The support provides means for supporting a firearm, to provide a steady gun rest for aiming a gun. An extensible member has a socket that connects to the member through a swivel joint. The gun barrel is engaged by an adjustable yoke or socket connected to the swivel. This gun support only provides support to the gun barrel at the very tip. The handle portion ‘a’ of the gun is not supported, so the user must provide the requisite support. Also, the presence of the swivel ‘c’ allows rotation of the gun barrel, which impairs the user's ability to steady the handle of the gun.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,948,449 to Aronson et al. discloses a gun holder. This gun holder is a support for a shotgun or rifle. A cup is provided which receives the butt end of a gun and is held on a strap across the chest of the user. This support holds the butt end of the gun by a shoulder strap. The barrel of the gun is not supported and has to be manually held at all times. The gun holder disclosed by the '449 patent does not provide gun support in the shooting position. It is merely used to facilitate transportation of a heavy gun.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,313,505 to Petrie discloses a collapsible stand. This adjustable collapsible stand may be used by a plumber to support pipes. The adjustable collapsible stand is for supporting pipes, aiding a plumber's operations. No disclosure is contained therein that concerns supporting a gun. The pipe is only supported in the downward vertical direction. It is not supported in the upward vertical direction, and can be lifted or rocked easily. This movement is unacceptable for a gun support, since the gun barrel needs to be aligned with the target.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,430,828 to Gregson discloses a gun sling. The sling facilitates carrying a gun and is usable by right handed or left handed persons. This gun sling attaches the butt of a gun to a sling strap member and enables easy transportation of the gun. Since the barrel of the gun is unsupported, it has to be carried by the user at all times. The gun sling does not support the gun in the firing position. Any movement of the gun will be detected by the wild game target such as a turkey.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,606,109 to Brokus discloses a gun sling. This gun sling is placed on the shoulder of the user and is attached to a stock receiver through a swivel connection. The stock receiver is pivoted on the gun stock at its attachment point. When the gun is lifted by the user, the stock receiver swings away from the gun stock. This allows free placement of the gun against the user's shoulder, and enables the weight of the gun to be no longer carried by the strap. Therefore, the gun is clearly unsupported in the shooting position and is only supported when it is not in use and hung from the shoulder. This device is unsuited for turkey hunting, since the user must freeze motion in the shooting position, at which point the gun sling provides no support.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,665,632 to Ford discloses a firearm shoulder support and strap attachment. This device supports the gun on the shoulder. A mounting plate is screwed to the butt end of the gun and carries a shock absorbent recoil pad, a rigid support member and a strap. The gun is attached to the shoulder and when used, the recoil pad absorbs the shock. Since the gun is only supported on the butt, the user has to hold the gun steady in the firing position for prolonged time periods. This requirement can be exhausting when hunting wild game, such as turkey.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,243,165 to Schuler discloses a shotgun butt cap. An adjustable strap attaches the shotgun butt cup to the shoulder. The butt cup with foam pad allows precise placement of the shotgun in a fixed position, which is selected by the user, providing improved and repeatable shooting precision. During use of the gun, the butt cup that is attached to the shoulder strap supports the butt of the gun. The user has to support the barrel of the gun. In the case of turkey hunting, the user must “freeze” for long periods of time in the shooting position, which tends to be tiresome.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,345,398 and 4,393,614 to Pickett disclose a gun rest. This gun rest is a monopod with extensible segments to adjust the height of the monopod. A clamp mount plate carried by the monopod has two U shaped clamps that attach to the barrel of a gun. The clamp mount plate is mounted to the monopod by a pivoting attachment so that the clamp mounting plate may be attached to the monopod when the gun rest is not in use. This gun rest in the ‘in use’ position supports the gun barrel. The back end of the gun is not supported and this support needs to be provided by the user. Holding the back portion of the gun for an extended period of time may result in the movement of the gun front tip, causing wild game targets such as turkey to fly away.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,852 to Phelps discloses a gun sling. One end of the sling is attached to the butt of the gun while the other end of the gun is attached to the barrel or muzzle of the gun, so that the gun essentially hangs from the shoulder. The gun may be fired in this supported ‘patrol’ position without being aimed at any specific target. The aiming of the gun to a specific target requires the gun to be lifted and rested on the shoulder in the usual manner. At this position, the gun is essentially unsupported. Therefore, this gun sling does not provide support in an aimed firing position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,497 to Yakscoe discloses an adjustable and collapsible gun and rifle support. An extendable vertical shaft is connected to a horizontal shaft through a connecting shaft that adjusts the degree of collapse of the vertical shaft. A cradle is connected to the end of the vertical shaft extension. The gun is placed on the cradle, which is provided with upright extending supports. The gun is entirely supported by the cradle and is only rotatable in its plane by the pivotable support. As a result, the angle of the gun cannot be readily adjusted. The user must unscrew the connecting shaft to change the orientation of the vertical shaft. This operation changes the plane of the gun, as adjustable by the pivotable support. The user is therefore unable to accurately aim the gun at a target. Fast and easy aiming of the gun is thereby compromised by the gun support's rigidity.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,505 to Olschlager discloses a shotgun sling apparatus. This sling comprises a strap attached on one side to a flexible support tube on the gun barrel and on the other side to a pocket that receives the butt of the gun. The sling is readily attached to a gun. It may be removed at will and provides a support mechanism during transportation of the gun. The sling does not support the gun during shooting at a target.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,325,618 to Turner discloses a safety device for a rifle. A chest harness carried by the safety device is additionally supported at the shoulder. The butt of a fire arm is captured in the vertical position, leaving the hands of the user free and the muzzle of the gun pointed safely away from the user. A cord connected to the butt supports the butt of the gun when it is removed from the vertical position chest support. Neither the chest support nor the cord supports the gun in the firing position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,706 to Brown discloses a firearm support. An adjustable monopod device connects to a sling post of a rifle through a pivoting or folding cradle assembly. The rifle may be tilted or turned when supported by this firearm support. In order to operate, the firearm support must be balanced exactly at the center of gravity of the gun. Any slight movement of the gun by wind or the like will disturb this arrangement causing the support to fail. Consequently, aiming of the gun at a target is very difficult. Firing the gun can disturb the support arrangement, since the butt of the gun is not supported in any manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,411 to Hightower discloses a butt stock sling attaching device for a shotgun. The butt stock sling attaching device secures a sling to a shotgun, rifle or the like. A primary loop of the attaching device has a stock toe engaging bight. A “D”-shaped ring carried opposite thereto is attached to a sling. A pair of secondary loop portions are attached at one end to side portions of the primary loop. The secondary loop portions are brought into overlying relationship to a stock comb having hook and loop fastenings that maintain the secondary loop portions in secure, though removable, fastening relationship to each other. The primary loop includes a half-twist for achieving proper orientation of the “D”-shaped ring relative to an associated sling. This sling attaches to the fore stock of the gun on one side and to the butt stock on the other side. The '411 patent discloses the attachment of the sling at the butt stock and teaches a primary and a secondary loop. The '411 patent does not disclose a support that secures the position of the gun hands-free in a firing position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,170 to Norris discloses a hands-free sling for carrying a long gun or other elongated article. This sling for a long gun and other articles has a belt that fits about the waist and a shoulder strap that passes over the shoulder and fastens to the belt at both ends. The shoulder strap includes two chest mounting members that hold a long gun adjacent the chest so that the user can carry the gun without using his hands. The belt, shoulder strap and mounting members are adjustable. The sling optionally includes a chest strap that fits around the chest and is coupled to the shoulder strap in the front and back. This hands free sling comprises one or two straps around the chest of the user that is also supported on the shoulder. The rifle or long object is attached to the chest straps and supports the long object in a vertical position, providing hands-free carrying of the rifle. However, in use of the rifle, the attachment of the rifle to the chest belt is released. Therefore this sling arrangement does not support the gun during firing, at which point, the arrangement is no longer hands-free.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,939 to Oliver discloses a ground engagable gun support. This ground engagable gun support apparatus comprises a main elongated tube and an adjustable elongated tube slidably attached to the main elongated tube by a pair of stabilizing bars. Securing means are provided that are adjustable vertically and are rotatable about the main elongated tube. The butt of the gun is supported by a butt support tray at the lower end of the elongated tube. The barrel of the gun is supported by a “Y” shaped barrel support bracket attached at the upper end of the adjustable elongated tube. A strap is affixed to the main elongated tube for carrying and camouflage coloring for non-detectibility by game, when employed by the user in the field, or safety coloring for visibility in the field. This gun support supports a rifle, particularly with a scope, in the vertical position. It dies not support a rifle in the ‘in use’ gun firing position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,103 to Wiggins discloses a gun support. This device is operative to support a gun from a tree. The gun has a scope and the device supports the gun from the scope. A plate is adapted to be attached to a tree by the use of an adjustable strap that surrounds the tree. An arm pivotally attached to the plate extends therefrom so that an elastic member may be attached to the end of the arm distal from the plate. A harness having a body and a first and second belt connected to the elastic member is provided. The first and second belt encircle the front end and back end of the scope, respectively, and support the gun. The first and second belts are adjustable so that the gun can be balanced within the harness. This gun support is a plate that is attached to a tree carrying a swingable arm to which an elastic member is attached that carries the gun and the scope. The hanging position of the gun is dependent on the location of the gun's center of gravity and may be horizontal or inclined. The user has to rotate and aim the gun-providing support. Due to the elasticity of the elastic member, which counteracts the support provided by the user, it is very difficult to aim and hold the gun steady.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,668 to Messer discloses a weapon rest. This weapon rest, which is characterized by its simplicity and stability, comprises a base, a shaft, a cradle movably attached to the shaft and a tensioning means situated between the cradle and the shaft. This tensioning means imparts stability to the cradled weapon, permitting the use of scopes of extraordinary powers of magnification. This weapon mount uses a tripod to attach a gun carrying cradle. The cradle can be displaced but not turned. Therefore, the user must lift the complete tripod mounted gun and direct the gun's aim towards a target. This process of aiming a target is extremely cumbersome and imprecise, especially when a high power magnification scope is to be used to aim a target. Such an aiming process involves a large amount of movement, which will disturb game.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,931 to Watson discloses adjustable gun rest. This portable gun rest comprises a thigh support member adapted to fit over a user's thigh. A telescoping support assembly is pivotally connected to the thigh support member. The telescoping support assembly includes a gun support member connected to the telescoping support assembly, and the gun support member is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the support member. This gun rest is attached to the user's thigh. It must be secured by straps, and carries the gun. Once the gun rest is secured in this manner and is aimed at a potential target, the user must sit in this awkward posture for a long time. The only adjustment possible involves rotation of the gun in the horizontal plane. Adjustment of height requires the loosening of the setscrew and elongating the central shaft, which is time consuming. There is no provision for inclining the gun. The attachment to the thigh does not provide a steady rest since the thigh can move and the user may loose balance.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,260,748 to Lindsey discloses a weapon sling and attachments. This weapon sling includes a cross body loop with a length adjustment and lower sling attachment for the rear end of a weapon. The length of the loop can be adjusted to conform to individual body sizes. The upper end of the loop has a clasp and an extension strap affixed thereto. The opposite end of the strap has a mating clasp for the clasp on the loop and an upper attachment for attaching to the front end of a weapon. This sling is an adjustable shoulder strap with attachment to the butt of the gun and a second strap attached to the front of the gun. When the attachment to the second strap is released, the gun is in the firing position. Since the second strap is loose, the user must aim and hold the gun during firing. The front end of the gun is not supported in the firing position. It is not clear how the butt end of the gun is brought to the common shoulder level since it is attached at the lower end of the sling. If the lower attachment has to be removed, the gun is entirely unsupported in the firing position.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,117 to Hales, Sr. discloses a support for rifle sighting. A configurable device for supports, sights and fires both shouldered and hand-held firearms. The device includes a tripod base having front and rear extensible vertical supports. The extensible supports are provided with substantially U-shaped cradle elements for holding a firearm. The extensible supports are pivotally mounted in brackets attached to the base permitting folding thereof. The extensible supports allow a wide range of vertical adjustment for sighting and firing from various positions, such as sitting, kneeling and standing positions. The rear support is slidably mounted to the base, thereby providing an adjustment mechanism for accommodating various lengths of shouldered firearms as well as hand-held firearms. The device can be folded for convenient storage and transport and is used just as easily in the field or on a shooting bench. A separate front cradle support and a rear cradle support are used to support the front and back of a gun, respectively. These supports are connected to a base over which the rear support can slide. The attachment of the front and back support to the base is pivoted in that it can be moved within the vertical plane. The height of the front and back support is individually adjustable. The gun cannot be rotated in the plane of the gun to aim at a target. Adjusting the angle of inclination of the gun requires the adjustment of front or back pivot and adjustment of the height of front or back support. Such an adjustment process involves an elaborate procedure, and the movement required during the adjustment process will disturb game.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,325,258 to Verdugo et al. discloses a tactical sling system. This adjustable sling system provides a quick release fitting which enables a sling system to transition from a close-to-the-body quick fire position to an away-from the body aiming position. The gun is carried on a shoulder supported sling that attaches on one end to the rear of the gun while the front end attaches to a buckle that slides on a web strap, thus changing the gun from the carrying position to a firing position. The gun butt is not supported by the shoulder sling when aimed at a target. Rather, bullets are sprayed using a machine gun in a general direction. This is not a support for a hunting gun such as a rifle.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,920,713 to Love discloses a gun support for hunters. This gun support for hunters has interchangeable features. The gun support includes a support rod having a proximal end and a distal end. A cradle is removably attached to the proximal end of the support rod. The cradle includes a base, a first fork pending from a first side of the base, and a second fork pending from a second side of the base. A retaining device is disposed on the first and second forks. A biasing strap is removably attached to the retaining device on at least one of the first fork and second fork. The biasing strap is configured for retaining a gun barrel between the strap and the base of the cradle for steadying the gun of a hunter. In this gun support arrangement, the gun barrel is supported on a fork supported on a pole. The pole is in turn supported on a quadrapod or other stand. There is no support for the butt portion of the gun. In one embodiment of the '713 disclosure a ball joint is provided for adjusting the inclination of the gun barrel and at these inclinations the barrel could slip away in the fork. This makes the game target aiming process difficult.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,935,065 to Oliver discloses a gun support. The gun holder and support apparatus combines multiple gun engagement functions in a compact adjustable transportable configuration. The gun support device provides for a self-supporting and portable field gun holder with adjustment brackets to accommodate different rifle gun types. It also acts as a gun barrel rest during firing. This gun support is mainly used for storing the gun in a vertical position. The gun may be removed from the support and used in the firing position while being supported by both hands. The barrel of the gun may be supported on the Y shaped rest at the upper end of the gun support. The butt portion of the gun must still be manually supported.
U.S. Patent application publication No. 20020036219 A1 to Neighbors discloses a hands-free gun holder. This hands-free gun holding device comprises a flexible sling, an attachment mechanism, and an anti-slip liner. The sling of the device is adjustably attached to a hunting jacket by the attachment mechanism and supports the butt of the gun, thereby leaving a hunter's hands free to use animal calls and binoculars, and to perform other functions useful in hunting. The liner covers at least a portion of the inside of the sling thereby preventing the gun butt from slipping out of the sling. The flexible sling lies flat against the hunter's jacket when not being used. Therefore, the sling does not interfere with other hunting activities. This gun-holding device allows the hunter to minimize both gun and body movements, as well as resulting unwanted noise. It therefore reduces the chance that the animal will detect the hunter. This gun holder is a pocket receiving the butt of a gun and is attached to the jacket or vest of a hunter by buttons. The front barrel of the gun must be supported in the firing position. Hunting turkey requires the user to freeze in this firing position, fully supporting the front of the gun—an operation which is tiresome.
Notwithstanding the efforts of prior art workers to construct a gun support system for hunters, there is a strong need for a hands-free gun support that freezes and supports a gun in the firing position. Also needed is a hands-free gun support that relieves the user from the tiresome task of holding the gun motion free for prolonged periods of time. Further needed is a gun-support that can be operated without alerting target games to the presence of the gun or the hunter. Using the hands free gun support of the subject invention, the hands of the user are not tired from holding the gun motion-free. Advantageously, the user needs only to pull the trigger at the appropriate time.